Warp Zoned Presents
Most Recent: Top Story
Perception Hands-On Preview: Not Just Another Haunted Mansion
When your resume includes critically-acclaimed classics like BioShock and Dead Space, it’s hard for a fledgling studio’s debut title to stand on its own. Unfortunately, those are the high standards The Deep End Games, a studio that counts developers from both Irrational Games and Visceral Games, is being held to. Thankfully, their first offering, Perception, has a unique visual design and an irresistible narrative hook to pull potential players in. (more…)
Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story
Tagged PAX East 2016, Perception
Kickstart This! Islands of Nyne: Battle Royale
Business is booming on the Kickstarter block this month. In the last couple of weeks, there has been a plethora of game projects launched which I have wanted to throw money at. That includes Copper Dreams by Whalenought Studios, an isometric cyber-espionage RPG that looks like the Syndicate update we all deserve. There was also the launch of Nadia Was Here from Dutch developer Joep Aben. It is a beautiful top-down RPG with classic 8-bit graphics and sound fused with a brand new battle system.
However, my pick this week falls into a genre I often shy away from: online shooters. Forgive me readers, I am trying to move with the times. I have Destiny and Star Wars Battlefront in my pile, but I’m old-fashioned in the sense that I like to immerse myself in a single-player story campaign. Despite this, I have found something appealing in Define Human Studios’s Islands of Nyne: Battle Royale.
Read on to see what made me get my multiplayer on… (more…)
Warp Zoned Wish List: What We Want From Resident Evil 7
Everyone has their favorite game, and with sequels being as plentiful as they are, there’s a good chance that game is part of a long-running series. The first game was probably great, and maybe the second was even better– but the series will inevitably go off the rails as the sequels and spinoffs pile up. As a fan, it’s easy to see things from one perspective and say we know the best way to return a faltering franchise to its former glory, but now it’s time to prove it.
Today, I’ll be rambling about my own personal favorite series, Resident Evil, the former gold standard for what a survival horror game should be. The scares peaked with a GameCube remake of the original game, before giving way to the more action-oriented Resident Evil 4 shortly thereafter. Things then came to an unfortunate head with Resident Evil 6— a bloated mess of badly-written, non-linear storytelling; Michael Bay-esque action set pieces; and over-complicated gameplay good only for co-op.
Resident Evil 7 is expected to be announced at this year’s E3 Expo, but how can Capcom best resurrect the series? Simple! Take it back to its B-movie roots, and more importantly, bring back the actual horror. What does that mean, you ask warily? Well… (more…)
Mutant Mudds Super Challenge Review: Dirty Deeds
When one hears the word “bully,” the archetypal image that usually comes to mind is that of a hulking brute. A dimwitted, slack-jawed, pit-stained-t-shirt-wearing oaf that couldn’t tell what a rhombus is, let alone be able to spell it. Not often do you hear of the nerdy kid with glasses being the jerk in the bunch. But I tell you this – I got my ass kicked by this bespectacled geek more times than I would by any bully. And these were brutal beatings, causing me great pain, uncompromising fury, and the occasional tear. Cruelly mocking me with every blow. Unrelenting. But you know what? I was totally cool with it. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, Reviews, Top Story, Wii U
Tagged Mutant Mudds Super Challenge
Kickstart This! Lynn and the Spirits of Inao
UPDATE: The Kickstarter campaign for Lynn and the Spirits of Inao has been canceled after allegations that Bloomylight Studio illegally refused to pay a group of interns who helped develop the game. More information is available in this post on Reddit and in an update to the campaign.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Welcome back, potential crowdfunding donors, to the weekly Kickstart This! This week’s focus is on Lynn and the Spirits of Inao, a magical platformer courtesy of Bloomylight Studio. It had some stiff competition, namely from Pirates of the Polygon Sea by Praxia Entertainment, which is a fast-paced, cartoony version of the sailing sections in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. There’s also 80s arcade space shooter Dystoria, which piqued my interests with its retro style, but also looked like a retread of The Last Starfighter.
So let’s see why Lynn and the Spirits of Inao won me over… (more…)
Enter the Gungeon Review: A Few Steps Forward, More Steps Back
Strange though it may seem, in 2016, video games are an old medium. The various genres and mechanics of the medium have, over time, formed a kind of complex language that makes sense to those who are video game literate but is impenetrable to those who aren’t. Good guys are blue, bad guys are red. This is simple if you’ve played a few shooters, but is not immediately obvious. This creates a problem for the critic when describing a game’s mechanics: to some people, Red Dead Redemption is a simulation of the Old West in which you meet with people who need tasks doing; to others, it’s GTA with horses.
Enter the Gungeon is a top-down, twin-stick shooter in which you explore procedurally generated dungeon floors armed with weapons, bombs, keys, and a special item. You fight your way through each floor looking for shops and item rooms to arm yourself for the boss fight that allows you to move down to the next floor of the dungeon. It’s usually best to avoid comparisons, but if this description reminds you of The Binding of Isaac, then you’re on the right track. (more…)
Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story
Tagged Enter the Gungeon
It’s In Your Blood: A History of Horror Games (Part Two)
Video games are a diverse and long-lasting medium, with something to offer everybody. From those obsessed with scores and bragging rights, to more relaxed individuals looking for an enthralling story with limited interaction, to gamers who spend upwards of 100 hours in open worlds with random battles. Then there are oddballs like me, who just want to get the crap scared out of us.
With horror games currently experiencing a much-needed boost in popularity, now is the perfect time to glance back at the genre’s rich history. In Part One, we took a look at the infancy of horror in gaming… from 3D Monster Maze to the much derided Friday the 13th adaptation. Today, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the titles that helped mold the genre into what it is today. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, Retro, Top Story
Tagged Parasite Eve, Resident Evil
The Games of May 2016
There are some great games coming out this month, but it looks like there are only a few we agree on here at Warp Zoned! Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is the no-brainer, but we’re pretty hype for Shadow Complex Remastered as well. Hit the jump to see what else we’re excited to play in May! (more…)